Automatic ice cube maker



Jan. 10,1950 F. H. SCHABERG ETAL 0 AUTOMATIC ICE cuss MAKER Y Filed Jung 12, 19 1a 4 3 She'ets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR5 50, I I v Mikey.

Jan; 10, 1950 \F. H. SCHABERG EIAL 3,

' AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER Filed June i2, 1948 5 Sheets-Shoat? OI m 65 I 'INYVEIIVTURJ' 466mm 3 0622 y F. H. SCHABERG ETAL 2,493,900

Jan. 10, 1950 AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 12, 1948 w/zw Patented Jan. 10, 1950 UNITED AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER Fred 11. seat... and Norris n. Therriault,

I Andover, Mass.

Application June 12, 1948, Serial No. 32,716

11 Claims. (Cl. 62-105) This invention relates to automatic ice cube makers wherein water is frozen in a tray in the form of cubes and the tray is periodically dumped into a receptacle and refilled and refrozen. this operation continuing indefinitely as long as the machine is energized for the purpose of accumulating a continuousflow of ice cubes or producin a single batch of ice cubes and holding them in cold storage until needed.

The principal object of the invention resides in the provision of an automatic ice cube maker of the class described comprisinga casing having pivotally mounted therein a compartmented tray made in the form of cubes, there being disposed immediately above the tray a, reservoir for water, said reservoir being in the nature of a pan and being provided with drip holes, one for each cubed compartment of the freezing tray; in combination with a compressor which may be of the usual type, however, automatically controlled so as to freeze the water in the tray and having control valves to stop and start the flow of water, the coolant gases, etc., and a motor for the tray itself, so that automatically in the required sequence, the ice in the tray will become frozen, the tray tilted, and the ice cubes deposited in a receptacle and the tray then returned to original position for the further operation of the ice cube maker. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view machine looks on the outside;

Fig. 21s a vertical cross sectional view through the machine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the freezing tray and the dumping action thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the freezing tray;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the water reservoir;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of the operating parts of the device;

Fig. 7 is an electrical diagram of the controls;

Figl 8 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of the ice tray; and

Fig. 9 is an end view of a modification.

As shown in Fig. 1, there is provided a casing I l and a receptacle l2 for the ice cubes, the same issuing from a slot Min the casing ill or progressing down an incline or chute It. The controls or switch buttons for the device may be placed at I8 as, for instance, for on or ofl.'" and for automatic or one cycle operation only.

showing how the Pivotally mounted inside the housing which is preferably well insulated, there is mounted a rod or axle l'l carrying a freezing tray is made up into cube-like compartments which taper as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 8. The compartments are tapered for ease in dumping the cubes and also to better receive the freezing conduits which run along each row of compartments as clearly shown. These conduits are connected at. each end to flexible conduits 22 and 23 providing for circulation of expanding and cooling gases and, at the same time, allowing the tray to be tilted, as shown in Fig. 3.

Mounted above the freezing tray in fixed relation thereto, there is a water reservoir in the form of a pan 24 provided with a series of holes or I 25 A periodically operated motor 34 controls the operation of means for dumping the freezing tray and this motor is provided with a worm 36 driving a wheel 38 arranged to rotate a crank 40 operating an arm 42 to dump the tray from the full line position to the broken line position of Fig. 3 over the chute it so that the cubes will slide down the chute into the receptacle l2.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 6, a compressoris indicated at 44, this compressor being electrically driven and controlled in intermittent operation by means of a low pressure'valveoperated switch 48 located in a return line 48 of the cooling system. The compressor pumps the compressed gases out through a pipe 50, this pipe, of course, being warm and leading to a branch 52 whichprovides warm gases going into each end of the bearings or trunnions 54 of the axle I! for the tray l9, so that the bearings for the tray will not have become frozen and stick. From the bearings of the tray, the gases proceed through a pipe 56 toga condenser 58 where the gases are cooled and from there the gases are led through an expansion valve 60 through pipe 22, conduits 20, and return pipe 23, which connectswith pipe 48 leading back into the compressor.

A bypass pipe indicated at 62 contains a hot gas valve 64 which is intermittently operated as will be described below. This hot gas valve is ordinarily closed but momentarily opens when the freezing cycle is finished and allows the'pasatiltahleicecube sage of hot gases rectlyintothe inthecompartmented The reference numeral I indicates a normally energinedrelay. Energizationofthisrelayopens the contacts indicated at It so that when current is shut off, the contacts ll close. When these contacts are closed the dump motor 36 is energized, the water valve 28 is operated to open, and thehotgasvalveilis'opened. Thelowpressure electric switch it is the instrumentality which energizes or deenergizes the coil of the relay II. When the freezing cycle is finished, the low pressm'eintheretm'nlinetothecompressor operates switch It to shut off the compressor and energize the relay 8!, starting the dump motor, the vwater valve, and the hot gas valve. When 'thepressurebuildsupagaintheswiwhliis .actuatedsoastoagainstartthecompressor.

For this reason, there is provided a microswitch 6| against which anarm I. fixed to the axle i1 normallyengages so as to close the microswitch to insure energization of the relay '5. However, when the dump motor starts, the arm ll moves away from the microswitch l and interrupts thecurrenttotherelaml usinsuringthatthe contacts Ii willremainclosedsothatevenif thepressurebuildsupandthecompressorstarts,

the dump motor will continue its cycle of operation until the arm ll again moves back to its original position and closes switch 68 at that time, causing the contacts It to open and shutoff the dump motor. I

In order to delay the action of thewater valve "(a mercury switch I! is provided and this switchisactuatedbythearmllalsoduringits movement to dump the fray. In other words, the

' a worm wheel II directly connected .to'the axle II. In this case,it is necessary to provide'a reversing switch 82, which is actuated by arms I! andanarmliactuatesthemicroswitchtland cally to tilt the tray,- a liquid reservoir for the v mercury switch isin the water valve circuit and the mercury switch I: otherwise exactly as in-,

dicated above.

The switch mountings i8 and 12V may be on a platellhavingearsllforconnectingtotheinside wall of the cabinet-of the ice cube maker.

It will be clear that this invention provides a fool proof constantlyactingicecubemakerwhich is fast butpositlveinoperation andwhich will not get outof action by reason of sticking beare ings or cubes, and which will operate without trouble. I

Having thus described our inventionwand the advantagesthereof,wedonotwishtobelimited tothedetailshereindisclosedotherwisethanas setforthintheclaimsbutwhatweclaimis:

1. Apparatus of the clamdescribed com tray, flexible conduits associated with the tray for conducting freezing-fluids thereto and vapor therefrom, an electric relay for controlling the operation of the tray tilting means, a compressor, a condenser, a low pressure electric switch to operate the relay and compressor, and means operated by the relay to loosen the cubes in the tray.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a tiltable ice cube tray, means operative periodically to tilt the tray,-a liquid reservoir for the tray, flexible conduits associated with the tray for conducting freezing fluids thereto and vapor therefrom, an electric relay fof controlling the operation of the tray tilting means, a compressor, a condenser, and a low pressure electric switch to operate the relay and compressor, and means operated by the relay to loosen the cubes in the tray, said last named means comprising a hot gas valve to pass hot fluids directly to the said flexible conduits.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a tiltable ice cube tray, means operative periodically to tilt the tray, 2. liquid reservoir for the tray, flexible conduits associated'with the tray for conducting freezing fluids thereto and vapor therefrom, an electric relay for controlling the operation of the tray tilting means, a compressor, a condenser, and a low pressureelectric switch to operate the relay and compressor, and means operated by the relay toloosen thecubes in the tray, and a water supply valve electrically operated by the relay for periodic supply of water to the reservoir.

4. The apparatus of claim-3 including means delaying the supply of water to the reservoir until the tray has tilted sufliciently to receive the initial supply of water from the reservoir on the side or bottom thereof. a

5. The apparatus of claim 3 including means delaying the supply of water to the reservoir until the tray has tilted sufiiciently to receive the initial supply of water from the reservoir on the side or bottom thereof, said water delaying means comprising an electric switch for the water supplyvalve; said electric switch being positioned to be operated y the tray during the tilting cycle and at a predetermined degree of tilt. I V

6. Ice cube maker comprising a compressor, a connected condenser, a low pressure switchfor energizing .the compressor, a tilting compartmented ice cube tray, a series of compartments of the ice cube tray running along the conduits, flexible connections for the conduits to the compressor as a return and to the condenser, a relay energized by the low pressure switch and a tray tiltingmotor and a hot gas valve, both energized by the relay, so that when the freezing cycle is completed and the pressure falls, the relay is operated by the low pressure switch to energize the motor and open the hot gas valve, a pipe con-. nection from the compressor directly to the tray conduits to free the cubes of ice as the motor dumps thetray, the hot gas valve being normalLv closed and located in said pipe connection.

7. The ice cube maker of claim 6 including an axle for the tray, and pipes from the compressor to the condenser, the pipes including the axle bearings to prevent freezing thereof. a

8. The ice cube maker of claim 6 including a cabinet housing the apparatus, an axle for the tray journaled in the cabinet Walls, and a pipe M from the compressor to each end of the axle, tray, meam operative periodi- 1; said pipes leading to the condenser, the hot gas valve bypassing the axle journals and condenser.

9. Ice cube maker comprising a cabinet, a compartmentedice cube tray therein, an axle mounting the tray for tilting movement from a horizontal freezing position to an inclined cube dumping position, flexible conduits to the tray for the freezing fluids and return vapor, a dump motor for the tray, a compressor and a condenser connected to the flexible conduits to complete the circuit for the fluids, a low pressure electric switch in the return vapor conduit, anelectric relay normally energized and having contacts normally open, and a microswitch in circuit with the relay, the low pressure switch being connected to deenergize the relay to close the contacts and the microswitch being normally closed by contact therewith of the tray. so that the low pressure switch operates at low pressure to cut out the relay and allow the contacts thereof to close, to start the dump motor to tilt the tray, thus moving the latter of! the microswitch maintaining the relay circuit open and the dump motor in operation for one cycle regardless of whether the pipe fluid pressure again operates the low I pressure switch.

10. The ice cube maker of claim 9 including a crank arm for the dump motor to oscillate the ice cube tray.

11. Ice cube maker of claim 9 including a,

worm driven by the dump motor, a worm, a wheel in mesh with said worm and mounted on the tray, and dump motor reversing switches operated by the tray in the movement thereof.

FRED H. SCHABERG. NORRIS H. ,THERRIAULT.

REFERENCES cr'rnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STAT S PATENTS 

